Jessie
B. Rittenhouse was born in Mt. Morris, New York in 1869. She attended the
Genesee Wesleyan Seminary in Lima, New York, and then taught English before
pursuing a career in journalism. She reviewed books for various newspapers
and press syndicates before accepting a position as a
modern poetry lecturer at Columbia University in 1900, the very same year Rittenhouse edited a
translation of The Rubiyat of Omar Khayyam. In 1905, Rittenhouse
joined the editorial staff of the New York Times. She also joined the
staff of the Bookman, a literary magazine, and held both positionsuntil 1915.

During
this time she corresponded with poets from all over the country. She began
editing and publishing compilations by these poets. Her first
compilation, The Younger American Poets, was in 1904. She continued
to publish compilations until 1927 and befriended many of the most famous
poets of the age, including T.S Elliot, Robert Frost, and Sara Teasdale.
Rittenhouse also published her own poetry in four volumes: The Door of
Dreams (1918), The Lifted Cup (1921), The Secret Bird
(1930), and My House of Life (1934). Rittenhouse is mostly remembered
for her anthologies rather than her own collections. She worked to promote
poetry, when many critics believed its contemporary popularity had ended. In
1910, she was the only female founding member of the Poetry Society of
America. She served as the secretary for the society for ten
years, helping young poets realize their full potential.[1]

In 1924 Rittenhouse married a
fellow poet, Clinton Scollard and moved to Winter Park, Florida. While in
Winter Park, she established the Poetry Society of Florida, made up of local
poetry aficionados. She attempted to inspire youth interest in poetry by
sponsoring contests for new poetry through the Poetry Society of Florida. Rittenhouse
met Hamilton Holt through her work with the Poetry Society of Florida, and Holt
convinced Rittenhouse to teach at Rollins College. In
1927, she began to instruct classes on poetry and acted as a poetry consultant for
the College. For her valued service, she received an honorary degree of Doctor of
Literature from Rollins College in 1928. Jessie Rittenhouse
died on September 28, 1948 in Grosse Point, Michigan. Upon her death, Rittenhouse
left over 1200
books of poetry and 1400
letters of literary correspondence
to Rollins, which is housed in the College Archive.